Meaningful partnerships can make the professional difference; WIST’s partnership with Menominee Tribal Enterprises (MTE) has grown into a professional platform for an enduring collaboration. This collaboration is featured in a new episode of Wisconsin Public Television’s "Into the Outdoors."

WIST and MTE have spent more than a decade sharing resources, tackling complex sustainability challenges, and advancing the cause of sustainable forestry. Because of that partnership, MTE invited "Into the Outdoors" to interview Dr. Paul Fowler, WIST’s executive director, for the program in an episode titled "The Menominee Nation: Stewards of Sustainability," produced by Discover Mediaworks for the Emmy-winning "Into the Outdoors" program.

“Menominee Tribal Enterprises’ forestry efforts use a broad-scope approach to sustainable forestry,” Fowler said. “They had this fantastic moment to showcase all that they do in stewardship of their land, and they invited us to be part of the conversation—it just shows how welcoming they are to bring innovative ideas and partners to the impressive scope and scale of their work.”

The program features MTE’s unique application of Menominee culture and philosophy to growing and harvesting its 200,000 forested acres. Their approach to forest management blends cutting-edge innovation with traditional Menominee practices that span thousands of years. The result is an internationally recognized model of sustainable forestry.

UW-Stevens Point’s College of Natural Resources (CNR) is one of the nation’s largest university programs for natural resources education. WIST, located within CNR, has been a natural partner for MTE. The two organizations share a vision: healthy, productive forests managed for the long term and guided by science, tradition, and community need.

"We've been able to help MTE with innovative discovery in using their forest and planning for the future," said Fowler. Projects have included exploring biochar applications to enrich soil health and finding productive uses for forest waste materials in heating—practical innovations that serve both the land and the community.

"The Menominee Nation: Stewards of Sustainability" takes viewers inside the world of Menominee forest stewardship, highlighting the tribal community's global leadership in sustainable wood products and responsible land management. The documentary touches on multiple facets of life and work on the reservation, from the tribal school, where Menominee youth learn the traditional ways of harvesting and using the forest, to the advanced forestry practices MTE employs across their vast forested acreage.

The film also examines the reciprocal nature of the WIST–MTE relationship: how WIST has supported MTE's innovative practices and how MTE's proven stewardship model has, in turn, informed and inspired WIST's own sustainability work.

Discover Mediaworks, the production company behind both the Emmy-winning "Into the Outdoors" and "Discover Wisconsin" series, conducted filming and interviews with the Menominee and WIST in March 2026, with the completed film premiering at the Intertribal Timber Conference in Keshena, Wis, June 8-11, 2026. The Society of American Foresters and its #forestproud program helped produce the film and curriculum; the curriculum will be available in July.

The Menominee people have sustained and grown their forest over generations, a remarkable feat that stands as proof that responsible stewardship and productive forestry are not in conflict. Partnerships like the one between WIST and MTE demonstrate what is possible when institutions bring their strengths together in service of a shared goal.

We are proud to play a role in this story and congratulate MTE and the Menominee people on their many advances and well-earned accolades.